Applicants claim priority under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 of German Application No. 199 44 068.9 filed Sep. 14, 1999. Applicants also claim priority under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7120 of PCT/DE00/03033 filed Sep. 5, 2000. The international application under PCT article 21(2) was not published in English.
The invention relates to a sealing arrangement comprising
two abutting structural components made of concrete, reinforced concrete, cast iron or other materials (e.g. synthetic resin) forming a gap, as well as
a seal bridging the gap in a sealing manner.
A sealing arrangement of said type is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,309, whereby the abutting structural components are segments that are assembled to a tubular tunnel, specifically with the formation of transverse and longitudinal joints. Each segment is in this conjunction preferably provided with at least one recess extending all around and covering all abutting sides of the segment, whereby a sealing section made of elastomer material and extending in the form of a strand is present in each recess. Due to the compression of the abutting segments, whereby the gap is reduced, the sealing section then develops its sealing power due to the interaction between force and reactive force.
Furthermore, it is known from EP-B-0 807 204 to provide such sealing sections for the construction of tunnels with an additional emergency seal consisting of a sealing material than can be activated with water. The emergency seal is to be activated in this conjunction only when a critical situation occurs, for example with strong shifting of the segments.
In conjunction with tunnel segments, in particular with finishing stones, sealing sections made of elastomer material are frequently provided with a sliding layer that is located within the area of contact between the abutting sealing sections. According to EP-B-0 574 559, the sliding layer consists of a material that is harder than the actual body of the sectional seal. The drawback of said sealing concept is that the elasticity of the sealing section is influenced in an unfavorable manner.
As another example of the sealing arrangement of the type specified herein it is necessary to mention the sealing employed in conjunction with the sealing of pipes or shaft construction structures. The abutting structural components in this conjunction are the end of a bell, on the one hand, which comprises a bell base and a bell mirror, as well as the end of a spigot on the other, whereby a ring-shaped sealing section made of elastomer material bridges the gap of the bell-and-spigot joint in a sealing manner. Such a sealing concept is described, for example in EP-B-0 449 082.
In order to facilitate the assembly of the end of the bell and the end of the spigot, it is proposed in EP-B-0 011 919 to provide the sealing section within the contact side facing the spigot with a lubricant, in particular in connection with a sliding hose. In conjunction with such a conception, however, it was frequently necessary to put up with a reduction in the sealing efficiency.
Based on the state of the art described above, the problem of the invention consists in providing a sealing arrangement that is characterized by high sealing efficiency irrespective of the purpose of application of the sealing, and which facilitates the assembly of the structural components.
Said problem is solved by a sealing system in which
the seal
entirely consists of a matrix or
is provided with a matrix representing a composite that is combined with a base body,
whereby
the matrix is a pasty mixture comprising a water-soluble material into which a lubricant and a swelling agent that can be activated with water, as well as additional additives, if necessary, are admixed.
The mixture of the matrix preferably comprises the following proportions in terms of quantity (parts by weight):
Preferably a polyethylene glycol with a molecular weight of 200 to 1000 is used as the water-soluble material, whereby the viscosity can be adjusted depending on the molecular weight of the polyethylene glycol.
The lubricant is advantageously a graphite powder an/or a silicone oil.
Any material that can be swelled by water can be used as the swelling agent (e.g. hydrotite). Undesirable premature swelling is avoided by stirring the swelling agent into the polyethylene glycol.
The other additives may be dyestuffs, bright fillers, as well as thickening agents.
Other advantageous variations are introduced in connection with the description of the figures.